1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to athletic protector cups, and more particularly to an athletic protector cup having a flexible resilient portion molded thereto for providing improved protection and comfort to the wearer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices for the protection of the male groin region are extensively utilized in athletics. In athletic competition, particularly body contact sports such as football, baseball, hockey, soccer and the like, protective devices are worn by the players to avoid injury due to inadvertent blows to the groin area. The most common protective device includes a cup supported by a jockstrap. Protector cups of this character are usually formed from a plastic material, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, which is sufficiently rigid to retain its shape even when struck a relatively severe blow.
Historically, protector cups have been provided with a resilient padding about their periphery both for the comfort of the wearer and, in some measure, to absorb the impact of a blow to the protector cup. The resilient padding is usually formed from a soft, flexible foam-like material, such as foam rubber or polyurethane foam, and is usually provided in the form of a limited elongated strip manually attached to the peripheral edge of the cup with the aid of an adhesive. Such conventional padded cups suffer a number of disadvantages and limitations. For instance, the pad attachment procedure is both time consuming and costly, and the bond between the padding and the protector cup is often deficient. Separation of the padding and the protector cup typically occurs during repeated use of the protector when the padding is peeling away from the restricted area of attachment to the cup. Furthermore, such known structures, in view of the restricted extent of the padding, offer only limited impact absorption protection. Consequently, upon impact a significant portion of the blow is transferred to the body of the wearer. Examples of athletic protector cups incorporating such conventional peripheral padding are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,283,684; 3,782,375; 4,453,541 and 4,134,400.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,414 discloses an athletic protector cup having a resilient peripheral binding molded to a peripheral cup flange. The molded binding structure disclosed in the this patent provides some benefits vis-a-vis the aforementioned conventional padded cup structures. For instance, molding provides a more efficient and cost-effective means of attachment than a conventional adhesive foam strip. Furthermore, the disclosed binding is contoured to have a relatively thick outwardly-extending body portion for providing improved comfort to the wearer and improved impact absorption. However, the athletic cup structure disclosed in this patent has some significant drawbacks and limitations. For instance, to prevent separation of the molded binding from the cup over time, the cup must be manufactured having a series of perforations along the flange. In other words, to achieve adequate attachment of the binding to the cup flange, the binding material is required to flow through relatively small perforations during assembly. This is necessary to provide interlocks integrally connecting the portions of the binding lying on opposite sides of the flange. Furthermore, the relative increase in impact resistance provided by the disclosed flange geometry leaves significant room for improvement. This is because only a limited area of hard-shell is covered by soft binding. Additionally, the disclosed binding surface geometry of the outwardly extending body portion includes sharp edges which could result in chafing during frictional contact with the wearer's body.
Accordingly, there is an established need for an athletic protector cup overcoming the aforementioned drawbacks and limitations of the prior art.